Global Law Summit

The Global Law Summit which will take place between 23rd - 25th February 2015 is, according to its website, “a unique one-off high level business forum” launched by the Justice Secretary Christopher Grayling to mark 800 years since the sealing of the Magna Carta.

One of its prime stated objectives is to “Champion the Rule of Law as the cornerstone of a fair and just society”. Publicly funded criminal lawyers are the lifeblood of the justice system, the guardians of citizens’ rights . They are key to a ‘fair and just society’ yet they will be notable by their absence from Mr Grayling’s celebration.

At a time when the decimation of the publicly funded professions is a source of profound concern to all those involved in the justice system, from judges down to the members of the public who are denied effective representation, we at 25 Bedford Row hope that all those at the Global Law Summit will reflect upon that absence; a silent protest against the restriction of access to justice and the damage being done to the justice system by Mr Grayling’s devastation of legal aid.